ABOUT US

ABOUT US

History

Created in 1884 in Paris

1883 : A great idea was born.
For more than a century, an ever-increasing number of students of all origins have attended the Alliances Françaises. This longevity and this vitality are due to the links forged with the citizens and patrons of the host countries.

1884 : Ferdinand de Lesseps, Louis Pasteur, Ernest Renan, Jules Verne, Armand Colin… are among the members of the Board of Directors of the Alliance Française de Paris. The first Alliance Française in Europe opens in Barcelona, then it is born in Senegal, Mauritius and Mexico.

1886 : The Alliance Française de Paris is recognized as being of public utility.

1904 : The Alliance Française has 150 committees in France and 450 abroad.

1919 : Opening of the Practical French Language School at 101 bd Raspail in Paris.

1940 : The archives of the Alliance Française are taken to Berlin by the Nazis.

1944 : Reopening of the Alliance Française de Paris after the war.

1979 : Record year with 32,000 students at the Paris school.

2007 : The Alliance Française Foundation is created.

Barnes Place 1988
Barnes Place 1988

In Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Alliance Française in Sri Lanka runs back to 1954

The presence of Alliance Française in Sri Lanka runs back to 1954.

The Alliance Française de Ceylan, also known as Alliance Française de Colombo, receives the full recognition and support from the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Education, and the Fondation des Alliances Françaises in Paris.

Five Alliances Françaises in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives
The Alliance Française de Colombo is also the head of a network of five Alliances Françaises in Sri Lanka and the Maldives: the AF Kandy, created in 1967, the AF  Jaffna ([email protected]) created in 1976 - closed and reopened in 2004, the AF Matara and its annex in Galle created in 1997 and the AF de Malé in the Maldives, created in 2009.

DELF- DALF and TEF examination centers
The five Alliances Françaises represent four DELF DALF centers (Colombo, Kandy, Malé, Matara), and register yearly more than 2,000 students.
Two TEF centers are established in the AFs de Colombo and Kandy.

Saheed Mueen, artist, HEM Eric Lavertu, Bruno Duparc
for-kids

METHODS / CULTURAL EVENTS

Courses compliant with CECR and open to culture

With up-to-date curriculums, Alliance Française de Colombo strongly adheres to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CECR) and is the only authorized center in Colombo to prepare and deliver the international diplomas of DELF, DALF and the evaluation examinations such as TEF for migrating.

The AF Colombo's action is always based on an intercultural approach of education and culture. Hence, a host of cultural activities such as Film screenings (Bonjour Cinéma / Bonjour Cinéma Kids), exhibitions, workshops, conferences, book launches, story readings are conducted regularly.

Main cultural events
The mois de la Francophonie (March), includes a series of language and cultural events run Alliances Françaises in Sri  Lanka and the Maldives, the embassies of France, Switzerland, the high commission of Canada, the Association des Professeurs de Français and the Ecole Française Internationale de Colombo.

The French Spring Festival (mid-June to mid-July) has become a most anticipated annual event which covers the fields of music, literature, fashion, gastronomy and street art.